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Beautiful Winter Scenery Along the Winhara Road, Gravenhurst
Traveling along with Winhara Road, north of Gravenhurst is a trip through a winter wonderland these days! Beautiful rock outcroppings stand out in contracts against the newly fallen white snow.
Fred Schulz Photo
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| Original Painting by John Beynon, A Winter In Quebec |
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GETTING PAST THE SNOWBOUND FEELING - TO ENJOY THE VISUAL, RECREATIONAL, CULTURAL JOYS OF A MUSKOKA WINTER
I HAVE A SOFT SPOT FOR SNOWY LANDSCAPE PAINTINGS
AT BIRCH HOLLOW, I HAVE MY DESK POSITIONED SO THAT I CAN LOOK OUT OVER THE BOG, ACROSS THE ROAD. IF I LOOK A LITTLE TO THE LEFT, I CAN WATCH THE BIRDS AT THE FEEDER, AND THE SQUIRRELS AMBLING ALONG THE RAILING OF THE VERANDAH. MOST OF MY WRITING WORK THIS LATE FALL SEASON, HAS BEEN FROM THE VANTAGE POINT OF MUSKOKA ROAD, IN THE WARM, COMFORTABLE SURROUNDINGS OF ROBERT'S RECORDING STUDIO, IN THE FORMER MUSKOKA THEATRE BUILDING, WHICH DOUBLES AS OUR LUNCH ROOM. FOR ME IT HAS ALSO BECOME A TEMPORARY WRITING STUDIO AS WELL, AND I CAN EASILY LOOK OUT UPON SNOWY MUSKOKA ROAD, AND THE OLD OPERA HOUSE BUILDING, WITH ITS CANOPY OF FRESH SNOW CAPPING THE TOWER. I LIKE BOTH VANTAGE POINTS, AT HOME AND UPTOWN, AND HONESTLY, ALTHOUGH I HAD MY DOUBTS, I'VE BEEN QUITE CONTENTED WORKING FROM THIS MUSKOKA ROAD PORTAL. I'M KIND OF FUNNY THIS WAY, AS SUZANNE KNOWS TOO WELL. THERE ARE LOTS OF PLACES I CAN'T WORK, AND WILL WIND-UP, AT TIMES OF DISCONTENT, STARING AT THIS INFERNAL WHITE SCREEN FOR AN HOUR OR MORE, WITHOUT EVEN NOTCHING A COLUMN HEADING. THIS ISN'T ONE OF THOSE PLACES, AND IT'S KIND OF NEAT, SITTING HERE AMONGST THE MUSIC HERITAGE, BOTH ANDREW AND ROBERT HAVE COLLECTED, WHILE HEARING A GUITAR OR DRUM IN THE DISTANCE; AS WELL AS CUSTOMERS TALKING TO SUZANNE ABOUT THIS OR THAT. TO UNDERSTAND MAIN STREET COMMERCE, IT'S SO MUCH BETTER TO BE WRITING FROM WITHIN THE HUSTLE AND BUSTLE....IF THAT IS INDEED THE CASE. WE'VE HAD SOME SLOW DAYS IN THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, BUT TODAY IT HAS BEEN QUITE BUSY. I'M EVEN STARTING TO HEAR SOME HEARTFELT CHRISTMAS GREETINGS, WHICH HAS BEEN KIND OF MUTE SO FAR THIS SEASON. I THINK THE BURDEN OF SNOW HAS BEEN GETTING PEOPLE DOWN. IT'S BEEN HARD WALKING FOR SOME FOLKS, LIKE ME, SUFFERING FROM WONKY KNEES AND HIPS.
I DO LIKE WORKING FROM THE MAIN STREET, REPORTING OCCASIONALLY ABOUT ITS CURRENT EVENTS AND OCCURRENCES. I WAS ON THE SCENE OF THE RECENT SMALL FIRE AT THE ALBION HOTEL, SEVERAL NIGHTS AGO, AND WE'RE ALL DELIGHTED THE GRAVENHURST FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS SO FAST ON THE SCENE, AND GOT THE EMERGENCY SITUATION UNDER CONTROL SO EFFICIENTLY. THERE WERE NO INJURIES THAT WE'VE HEARD, SO THAT'S GOOD NEWS AS WELL. WE EXTEND OUR THANKS TO THESE FIRST RESPONDERS WHO REMAIN LARGELY UNSUNG, FOR THEIR SERVICE TO KEEP OUR COMMUNITY SAFE.
ALTHOUGH NO ONE HAS AFFORDED ME A NEWSPAPER, AS I HAD ASKED FOR LAST CHRISTMAS, (WHICH IS A MILLION DOLLAR INVESTMENT IN ME) AND I CERTAINLY CAN'T CLAIM THIS STUDIO TO BE A PROPER NEWSPAPER OFFICE, AND I DON'T PRINT ANYTHING OUT ONTO NEWSPRINT, OR IN MAGAZINE FORMAT, I LIKE TO THINK THAT BY WRITING, ONCE AGAIN FROM A DESK IN A MAIN STREET BUILDING, IN THE WAY IT ALWAYS USED TO BE DONE.....BY AN ARRAY OF OUTSTANDING WRITERS, I'M RELIVING A BIT OF HISTORY AT THE SAME TIME; A REALITY OF THE PAST SINCE PIONEER TIMES, THAT I REALLY DO MISS. YOU PROBABLY FEEL THE SAME. NOT HAVING A NEWSPAPER OFFICE ON THE MAIN STREET OF OUR TOWN SEEMS A SUBSTANTIAL SHORTFALL IN TRADITION. SO ALTHOUGH I CAN'T MAKE UP FOR NOT HAVING A NEWSPAPER OFFICE, ON THE MAIN STREET, I CAN AT THE VERY LEAST, OFFER THESE FEW LINES OF OBSERVATION, IN THE TRADITION OF THOSE CHARMING, CLUTTERED, DICKENSIAN, LITTLE NEWSPAPER OFFICES OF ONCE....AND THE REPORTERS WHO KEPT THE TOWNSFOLK INFORMED ABOUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING "OUT THERE!" THERE'S A LOT GOING ON HERE, IN THE CHARACTERISTIC OF A SMALL, AMBITIOUS, YET OLD FASHIONED TOWN, THAT IS BEING MISSED....REGULARLY SO, AND I CAN ONLY CAPTURE A VERY SMALL AMOUNT ON MY OWN. I DON'T HAVE A STAFF. JUST FAMILY WHO IGNORE ME MOST OF THE TIME. TO BELIEVE THAT NOTHING OF GREAT SIGNIFICANCE GOES ON IN THIS TOWN, IS DEFINITELY A MISCONCEPTION. I JUST DON'T HAVE THE CAPABILITY ANY MORE, TO COVER THE BEAT THE WAY IT SHOULD BE....AND I FEEL BAD ABOUT THIS. AS FOR POLITICS, GOSH, IT'S LIKE THERE ISN'T ANYTHING GOING ON, BUT WE KNOW THAT'S NOT TRUE.
SO FOR THE REST OF THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, I'M GOING TO ENJOY WATCHING OUT OUR FRONT DOOR, AND OCCASIONALLY WANDERING UP AND DOWN THE MAIN STREET CORRIDOR, RETURNING WITH A SNOW-CAP, TO WRITE ABOUT THE BIG AND LITTLE THINGS I COME UPON, OR OBSERVE; AND THEN FEEL A MODICUM OF GOOD RESTORING, TO A MINOR DEGREE, THE WAY IT USED TO BE.....BECAUSE, LOW AND BEHOLD, IT'S STILL AS IMPORTANT AS IT EVER WAS....DESPITE WHAT WE ARE FED, AS AN EXPLANATION, TO THE CONTRARY. I BELIEVE, THAT ONE DAY SOON, WE WILL ONCE AGAIN HAVE A MAIN STREET NEWSPAPER. MAYBE IT'LL BE A SMALL ONE. BUT ANYTHING THAT PUTS THE HUB OF THE COMMUNITY BACK, WOULD BE A WORTHWILE IMPROVEMENT TO OUR SOCIAL/ CULTURAL FUTURE.....WHICH DEPENDS ON COMMUNICATION; AND PART OF THIS INVOLVES PRINT.
THE WINTER SEASON HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY MOST PROLIFIC PERIOD IN WHICH TO WRITE. WHEN I WROTE FOR THE MUSKOKA SUN, I DID ALMOST EIGHTY PERCENT OF MY EDITORIAL REQUIREMENT, FOR EDITOR ROBERT BOYER, THROUGH THE WINTER MONTHS, FOR THE COMING SUMMER SEASON. WHEN MY FATHER HAD A STROKE, AND IT COINCIDED WITH ONE OF THE MOST SERIOUS WINTER STORMS OF THE DECADE, I CAME TO BLAME MOTHER NATURE UNFAIRLY FOR CAUSING SO MUCH PAIN AND SUFFERING....MOSTLY TO US, BECAUSE ED WAS PRETTY DELUSIONAL ABOUT THE WHOLE ILLNESS THING. HE HAD A LOT OF AILMENTS GOING ON AT THE SAME TIME, ALL OF THEM LEFT UNDIAGNOSED. IT WAS THE CONFLUENCE OF AILMENTS THAT HURT HIM, NOT JUST A WINTER STORM. I JUST CREATED THE ASSOCIATION AND IT KIND OF STUCK. I HATED WALKING THROUGH THE SNOW TO THE HOSPITAL, EVERY DAY, DURING THIS TIME, MORE BECAUSE OF THE STRESS THAT CAME WITH THE CIRCUMSTANCE. ADD TO THIS, THE FACT, THAT EVEN AFTER A STROKE, ED KEPT TRYING TO ESCAPE. HE WANTED TO REJOIN HIS NAVY MATES FROM THE SHIP "COATICOOK", SO HE HAD A PROBLEM RECKONING WITH THE TIME THAT HAD PASSED, BETWEEN THE PRESENT AND THE SECOND WORLD WAR. HE HATED DOCTORS AND HOSPITALS, BUT MOSTLY OUT OF FEAR, VERSUS ANY BAD EXPERIENCE HE HAD ENDURED PREVIOUSLY. EVEN WHEN WE MOVED THE CONTENTS OF HIS APARTMENT, I DEVELOPED A HATE FOR THE SEASON. IT WAS BY ASSOCIATION AND NOT BECAUSE I GENUINELY HAD ANY SIGNIFICANT REASON, TO CALL IT THE "WINTER OF MY DISCONTENT." IT'S TRUE WE ONLY PUT UP A TINY FAKE CHRISTMAS TREE, THAT YEAR, WITH ABOUT EIGHT BULBS AND TWELVE TWINKLING LIGHTS (WHICH I CAN ABIDE) BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE THE TIME TO DIG INTO THE SHED, TO UNCOVER THE BIGGER ONE, HIDDEN BEHIND ABOUT A THOUSANDS BOXES OF THIS AND THAT! IN THE ANTIQUE AND COLLECTABLE TRADE THIS IS SITUATI0N-NORMAL. IT WASN'T A HAPPY CHRISTMAS FOR ED, WHEN, FOR A FEW MOMENTS EACH DAY, HE WAS AWARE OF WHAT WAS GOING ON AROUND HIM; AND BECAUSE WE HAD SO MUCH TO LOOK AFTER, WITH HIS CARE AND APARTMENT, THE WHOLE SEASON BECAME A BLUR OF A THOUSAND EVENTS, BUT NONE OF THEM VERY COMFORTING. HEY, WE ALL HAVE THESE TYPE OF OVERLAPPING CIRCUMSTANCES FROM TIME TO TIME...AND SOME HAVE TO DEAL WITH MULTIPLES, CASCADING DOWN THE SLIPPERY SLOPE OF LIFE. SO I OFFER A SINCERE APOLOGY TO MOTHER NATURE AND "WINTER" SPECIFICALLY, FOR TAKING OUT MY FRUSTRATIONS ON INNOCENT BYSTANDERS. WE ARE OF THE SEASONS OF NATURE AFTERALL.
WE RECENTLY ACQUIRED AN INTERESTING QUANTITY OF ESTATE ITEMS, INCLUDING A FEW NICELY EXECUTED PAINTINGS. ONE OF THESE PAINTINGS ON A WOOD PANEL, DEPICTS A WINTER SCENE WE BELIEVE TO BE SOMEWHERE IN QUEBEC. WELL KNOWN CANADIAN ARTIST, JOHN BEYNON, WAS BORN IN 1890, AND PAINTED EXTENSIVELY IN THE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC, BECOMING WELL KNOWN FOR RURAL SCENES LIKE THE ONE PUBLISHED ABOVE. I HAVE OWNED QUITE A FEW WINTER-TIME PAINTINGS, INCLUDING MY FINEST, DATING BACK TO THE 1830'S, OF A FARMSTEAD LANDSCAPE, WE ALSO BELIEVE IS FROM QUEBEC. I HAVE USED THIS FARM SCENE MANY TIMES IN MY BLOGS IN THE PAST. I ALSO HAVE A REALLY NICE BILL ANDERSON, THE BARBER / PAINTER OF BRACEBRIDGE, AND A HALF DOZEN MORE THAT ARE FROM MUSKOKA AND POINTS NORTH. EVEN AS A KID, I LOVED THE CHANGING SEASONS, AND TO ME, THE ARRIVAL OF THE SNOW BROUGHT ABOUT AN UNSPECIFIED ENCHANTMENT....AND POWERFUL ALLURE TO EXPLORE. AND TAKE RIDICULOUS CHANCES WITH TOO-THIN ICE. I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AN OUTDOOR ENTHUSIAST, AND I'M ALWAYS PUTTERING AROUND BIRCH HOLLOW, UNLESS IT IS A MONSOON DRIFTING OVERHEAD, OR FRIGHTFULLY COLD. IT WAS THE SAME WHEN I WAS YOUNGER. MY MOTHER COULDN'T FIGURE ME OUT, OR WHY I HADN'T FROZEN TO DEATH, ON ONE OF MY SNOWY (MISS) ADVENTURES. I ALMOST DROWNED ONCE, IN BURLINGTON'S RAMBLE CREEK, WHEN ONE OF MY MATES SUGGESTED I WASN'T BRAVE ENOUGH TO DANCE ON THE THICK ICE. THE WORD HE USED HAD THE RIGHT FIRST LETTER, BUT INSTEAD OF IT BEING "T" FOR THICK AND TRUSTWORTHY, IT WAS THIN AND TERRIFYING. I WAS UP TO MY CHEST IN COLD RUSHING WATER, AND IT TOOK ABOUT FIFTEEN MINUTES TO GET PULLED OUT. ONE OF MY CHUMS WENT UP THE HILLSIDE OF THE RAVINE, TO THE APARTMENT ON THE HILL, TO GET MY MOTHER, AND I COULD HEAR HER SCREAMING ALL THE WAY DOWN THE HILL. INSTEAD OF IT BEING, "TEDDY, HANG ON, MOTHER'S COMING," IT WAS MORE LIKE, "TEDDY CURRIE YOU'RE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE! YOU'RE NEVER COMING OUT AGAIN." DON'T YOU LOVE THAT ABOUT MOTHERS. IF I'D SLIPPED ON THE BOTTOM ROCKS, I COULD EASILY HAVE BEEN TRAPPED UNDER THE ICE DOWNSTREAM, SO BELIEVE ME, I KNOW HOW LUCKY I WAS THEN....AND FOR THAT MATTER, NOW AS WELL. THE ONLY ICE I SKATE ON HAS A CONCRETE FLOOR BELOW IT, AND A ROOF OVER HEAD.
THE HEAVY SNOW WE HAVE BEEN SUBJECTED TO, ALREADY THIS WINTER, DOES REMIND ME A BIT OF THE PRE-WINTER STORM, BACK A FEW YEARS, WHEN MY FATHER SUFFERED A STROKE. THAT SNOW EVENT, IF YOU RECALL, WAS A FRIGHTENING LATE AUTUMN SNOW-BURST. ANDREW AND HIS FRIEND JAMES LUCIBELLO, WERE COMING HOME FROM A TECHNICAL GIG, FOR A SHOW AT THE CAISSE THEATRE IN BRACEBRIDGE, AND AT AROUND MIDNIGHT, THEY WERE BEFUDDLED ON THE BEST WAY TO GET HOME TO GRAVENHURST,THROUGH WHAT CAN ONLY BE DESCRIBED AS AN OLD FASHIONED BLIZZARD. SO THEY STOPPED TO ASK ASSISTANCE FROM A POLICE OFFICER, WHO WAS CONTENDING WITH IN-TOWN TRAFFIC PROBLEMS. HE SUGGESTED THAT HIGHWAY ELEVEN WAS STILL OPEN, AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHERE THEY HEADED, ENTERING FROM THE TAYLOR LINE RAMP, INTO THE SOUTHBOUND LANES, JUST ABOVE THE BRACEBRIDGE FAIRGROUNDS. THIS IS WHERE THEY SPENT THE NIGHT. THEY ONLY WENT A SHORT DISTANCE SOUTH BEFORE THE TRAFFIC UP AHEAD CAME TO A GRADUAL STOP, AND IT SOON BECAME COMMON KNOWLEDGE THE HIGHWAY WAS CLOSED. THEY WERE AT A STANDSTILL AND GETTING DRIFTED OVER. A PROBLEM WITH A TRUCK UP AHEAD MEANT A LONG, COLD NIGHT IN THE MODEST COMFORTS OF THE CAR. FORTUNATELY JAMES HAD SOME EXTRA MATERIALS IN THE VEHICLE, TO STAVE OFF THE COLD.
WHEN ANDREW CALLED WELL AFTER MIDNIGHT, TO TELL US ABOUT THE SITUATION, WE TOLD HIM WE WOULD MAKE ARRANGEMENTS FOR BOTH LADS TO STAY AT HIS GRANDFATHER'S APARTMENT, NEAR BASS ROCK IN BRACEBRIDGE, IF AND WHEN THEY WERE SPRUNG FROM WINTER'S ICY GRASP. IT WAS AWFUL OUT, AND WE SUSPECTED THEY MIGHT EXIT THE TRAFFIC ON THIS SECTION OF HIGHWAY, BACK INTO TOWN. SO SUZANNE CALLED MY FATHER, ED, TO LET HIM KNOW HE MIGHT SOON HAVE GUESTS ARRIVING. IT WAS THE LAST CONVERSATION WITH ED BEFORE HE SUFFERED A STROKE. WE'VE WONDERED EVER SINCE, IF THAT CALL, AND THE MESSAGE ABOUT ANDY BEING TRAPPED ON THE HIGHWAY, CONTRIBUTED TO THE ONSET OF THE STROKE. ANDY AND JAMES SURVIVED THEIR ORDEAL, AND GOT BACK TO GRAVENHURST EARLY THAT MORNING. THE STORM BEGAN ON THURSDAY NIGHT. THIS WAS ON A FRIDAY IF MEMORY SERVES. SUZANNE AND I TRIED TO GET TO ED'S APARTMENT ON SATURDAY MORNING, BUT EVEN THEN, DRIVING WAS HORRIFIC, WITH TRANSPORTS STUCK ALL OVER THE PLACE. WE MADE IT TO BRACEBRIDGE ON THE AIRPORT ROAD, BUT WE TURNED BACK TOWARD GRAVENHURST ON WINHARA ROAD, ONCE WE SAW THE CARNAGE ON THE SNOW-DRIFTED ROAD INTO TOWN. IT TOOK US ALMOST A FULL HOUR TO DRIVE TEN MILES BACK HOME. I'VE DRIVEN ON HIGHWAY 400 DURING WHITE OUTS, ON AN ICY ROAD, BUT ON THIS DAY, WINHARA TOOK TOP HONORS FOR BEING THE MOST PRECARIOUS LENGTH OF ROAD I'VE EVER DRIVEN. EVERY KILOMETRE, WE'D PASS FIVE OR MORE VEHICLES STUCK IN DRIFTS, AT THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. IT WAS NOTHING MORE THAN A PIONEER TRAIL, BUT WE MADE IT BACK HOME SAFE AND SOUND.....VOWING TO STAY INDOORS UNTIL MAY. IT DIDN'T WORK OUT THAT WAY. IT NEVER DOES.
MY FATHER HAD BECOME ILL SOMETIME AFTER OUR PHONE CALL, AND HAD BEEN STUMBLING AROUND HIS APARTMENT, KNOCKING OVER TABLES AND CHAIRS WHEN HE'D SUDDENLY FALL TO THE FLOOR. ED HAD BEEN IN PRETTY GOOD HEALTH FOR AN 82 YEAR OLD, AND DIDN'T LIKE BEING CHALLENGED ABOUT HIS PHYSICAL SHORTFALLS. HE WAS, AS THEY SAY, HIS OWN MAN. IF I WAS TO EVER PASS MY JUDGEMENT THAT HE SHOULD ATTEND A DOCTOR, HE WOULD QUICKLY CHANGE THE SUBJECT, OR LET ME KNOW WITH AN OLD SALT'S BLUNTNESS, AS HE DID WHEN I WAS A KID, THAT THE DISCUSSION WAS TO END AT THAT POINT. SO WE CONTENTED OURSELVES FOR THOSE FEW DAYS, DIGGING OUR OWN HOUSE OUT OF THE DRIFTS, AND CLEARING THE DRIVEWAY, THINKING THAT ED MIGHT CALL US ABOUT THE BOYS. WE WERE AT FAULT BECAUSE IT WASN'T UNTIL MONDAY MORNING THAT WE FOUND HIS CAR STILL BURIED UNDER A FOOT AND A HALF OF SNOW, WHICH WAS VERY UNCHARACTERISTIC. BY THIS POINT, MUCH OF THE DAMAGE HAD BEEN DONE, AND ED LOOKED AS IF HE'D AGED TEN YEARS, AFTER ONLY A FEW DAYS SINCE I'D SEEN HIM LAST. HE WOULD EVENTUALLY SUCCUMB, WITHIN THE NEXT MONTH, AND YOU KNOW, I DID BLAME THE SNOW FOR HIS DEMISE FOR SOME TIME LATER. WE WOULD HAVE AT LEAST BEEN THERE THAT SATURDAY MORNING, IF WE COULD HAVE NAVIGATED OUR WAY INTO TOWN, WHICH WOULD HAVE GIVEN HIM EARLIER EXPOSURE TO MEDICAL ASSISTANCE. I STOPPED BLAMING THE ONSET OF WINTER, AND THEN BLAMED MYSELF FOR BEING A CRAPPY SON. FUNNY THING THOUGH. IF YOU REMEMBER THAT STORM AND THE WINTER THAT FOLLOWED, IT WAS PRETTY MUCH THE LION THAT BECAME A PUSSYCAT. WE HAD TO MOVE ED'S APARTMENT CONTENTS OUT OF BASS ROCK THAT JANUARY, AND OUTSIDE OF BEING A TAD COLD, THERE WAS VERY LITTLE SNOW TO CONTEND WITH; WHICH WAS EXCELLENT BY THE WAY, IF YOU HAVE TO DO ANY ESTATE MOVING.
SO FAR THIS YEAR, EVEN BEFORE THE WINTER SEASON HAS OFFICIALLY ARRIVED, THERE HAVE BEEN HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS, ESPECIALLY VISIBLE ON TWITTER, ABOUT THE POOR CONDITION OF THE ROADS IN OUR MUNICIPALITY. MY BIGGEST COMPLAINT HAS BEEN THE LACK OF SANDING, AND THIS HAS BEEN ESPECIALLY NOTED ON HIGHWAY ELEVEN FROM SEVERN BRIDGE NORTH. I THINK THE FREQUENCY OF ACCIDENTS HAS TO BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT, AND WHILE DRIVERS ARE OFTEN THE AUTHORS OF THEIR OWN MISFORTUNE, MY RECENT DRIVE ON THIS SAME STRETCH, WAS BLOODY FRIGHTENING. THE ONLY GOOD THING, I SUPPOSE, WAS THAT OUR FELLOW MOTORISTS AT THAT PARTICULAR TIME, WERE TRAVELLING SLOWLY, AND WELL AWARE HOW ICY THE SURFACE HAD BECOME. THIS WAS ABOUT FOUR O'CLOCK IN THE AFTERNOON. SON ROBERT JUST CAME BACK, TO OUR SHOP, AFTER A WALKING VENTURE SOUTH ON MUSKOKA ROAD, AND REPORTED THE SIDEWALK WAS IN HORRIBLE CONDITION. I THINK COUNCILLORS, WHO DON'T REALLY LIKE HEARING STORIES LIKE THIS, BELIEVING THEM TO BE THE FABRICATION OF HARD-TO-PLEASE CITIZENS, SHOULD CONSULT TWITTER TO READ SOME OF THE REVIEWS OF THEIR SNOW REMOVAL PROGRESS THUS FAR....IN THE LATE AUTUMN SEASON. ANDREW JUST ARRIVED BACK FROM THE TRAIN STATION WITH COFFEES FOR US, AND SAID HE FOUND THE WALK TREACHEROUS BOTH WAYS.....WHICH WHEN YOU'RE BALANCING COFFEES ADDS A SUBSTANTIAL DEGREE OF DANGER. MERCHANTS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE SHOVELLING SIDEWALKS IN FRONT OF THEIR BUSINESSES. ANDREW SPENT AN HOUR YESTERDAY AND TODAY, CLEARING OFF OUR WALK WITH TWO OPENINGS FOR PEDESTRIANS TO NAVIGATE THROUGH, TO GET BACK INTO THEIR CARS, OR CROSS THE ROAD. IT'S A DUE DILLIGENCE KIND OF THING, DON'T YOU AGREE? WE'VE GOT TO GO THE DISTANCE FOR OUR CUSTOMERS. AND WHEN THE MUNICIPALITY DOESN'T DO IT....WELL, THEN, WE HAVE TO PICK UP THE SLACK. WE DON'T WANT OUR CUSTOMERS INJURED DOING THEIR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING....OR SUING THE TOWN OF GRAVENHURST. HAVE ANY OF OUR COUNCILLORS WALKED UP THE MAIN STREET TODAY? MAYBE THEY SHOULD. IT IS PART OF THE JOB DESCRIPTION, TO MAKE SURE WE'RE DOING THE RIGHT THINGS AT THE RIGHT TIME. SNOW REMOVAL IS A GAME CHANGER TO LOCAL COMMERCE. IT WAS GREAT THAT PUBLIC WORKS REMOVED THE BANKS ON THE MAIN STREET, THE OTHER NIGHT, BUT THEY'RE BACK AGAIN AFTER YESTERDAY'S SNOWFALL, AND A LOT OF IT HAS FALLEN DOWN ONTO THE SIDEWALKS.
WE ALL HAVE OUR LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH WINTER. I LOVE LOOKING AT MY COLLECTION OF WINTER LANDSCAPES, HUNG ON THE WALL OF BIRCH HOLLOW, AND HERE IN OUR GRAVENHURST SHOP. AS WE GOT THE VEHICLE STUCK THIS MORNING, IN OUR FRESHLY SHOVELLED DRIVEWAY, I DO CONFESS TO CURSING MILDLY UNTIL WE WERE SUCCESSFULLY DUG-OUT. PAYS TO HAVE TWO STRAPPING YOUNG LADS IN THE BACK SEAT. BUT IT IS A LIVING, BREATHING, CHRISTMAS CARD, WE LOOK OUT UPON, AND THUSLY TRAVEL THROUGH...AN AMAZING PANORAMA AS WITNESSED FROM MY OFFICE WINDOW, BUT KIND OF A PAIN, WHEN I HAVE TO CLIMB OVER SNOWBANKS, ALREADY FIVE FEET HIGH, TO SAVE MY OUTDOOR SHELTERS FROM COLLAPSING UNDER THE WEIGHT OF THE MOST RECENT SNOWFALL. AND IT LOOKS LIKE WE'VE GOT A LOT MORE COMING OVER THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS. I PITY THOSE WHO HAVE TO TRAVEL LONG DISTANCES TO GET HOME FOR CHRISTMAS. WE HAVE TO DRIVE ABOUT EIGHT BLOCKS, TO AND FROM OUR STORE, AND THE PLACES WE PREFER TO SHOP IN GRAVENHURST. SO I DON'T HAVE MUCH TO GRUMBLE ABOUT. I GET STUCK IN MY DRIVEWAY TWELVE TIMES EVERY WINTER, SO NOW I'M DOWN TO ELEVEN MORE TO GO. BUT YOU KNOW, I STOOD OUT THERE LAST EVENING, AFTER SHOVELLING FOR THE THIRD TIME IN ONE DAY, AND IT WAS SO SPECTACULAR AND SILENT, THAT EVEN HARD WORK HAD BECOME A DISTINCT PLEASURE OF THE CHRISTMAS SEASON. IN BETWEEN ALL THE WORK OF SNOW REMOVAL, AND THE CHAGRIN OF BLOWING SNOW, ICE AND COLD, THERE'S A GRAND QUALITY TO A MUSKOKA WINTER, WE SHOULD ALL TAKE IN BEFORE ITS ONCE AGAIN.....JUST THE SPRING.
I HOPE YOU'RE ENJOYING THE EARLY DAYS OF THE SNOW-ADORNED CHRISTMAS SEASON OF 2013. IT'S BECOME A HIVE OF CHRISTMAS-TIME ACTIVITY HERE, WITH MANY FRIENDS AND CUSTOMERS DROPPING IN TO EXTEND SEASONAL GREETINGS.....AND THAT'S REALLY NICE. WALK AND DRIVE SAFELY OUT THERE.
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